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Explosion reported at the home of Roswell's 'Chicken Man'

ROSWELL — An explosion on Monday rocked the suburban Atlanta home of a man known for his fight to keep chickens on his property, and emergency officials say a body was found inside.

Marshals had been on the scene for about two hours trying to evict Andrew Wordes, who’s known as the “Chicken Man,” when the explosion happened around 12:45 p.m., said Antonio Johnson of the Fulton County marshal’s office. Minutes before the explosion, Wordes told them to leave the property that was in foreclosure. Other than the body found inside the house, which officials did not immediately identify, no one was reported injured in the blast.

Roswell police Lt. James McGee said the ATF is investigating the cause of the explosion.

“It was a tremendous amount of force that was used. The whole house was affected,” Roswell Fire Department spokesman Paul Piccirilli said.

Wordes gained notoriety in 2009, when city officials cited him for raising poultry in his backyard. Supporters wearing yellow T-shirts and “I Love Chickens” buttons attended his court hearing. He was sentenced to serve jail time late last year after authorities accused him of property code violations.

Marshals had been speaking to Wordes through a closed door and a window and were aware that Wordes had been at odds with government officials in the past, Johnson said.

“We didn’t go in with a show of force. We just went in communicating the eviction order,” he said. “We were very lucky. Officer safety is first.”

A local television station said Wordes called one of its reporters several times Monday morning, including right before the explosion. On a recording of the final call, a WSB-TV reporter can be heard asking Wordes what’s going on.

“I just can’t tell you. It ain’t pretty though,” the man identified by the station as Wordes says.